Beautiful Like a Rainbow
by Veste Notus
Summary: Duo falls in love with a boy at an arts camp... but can that love last...?


Disclaimers: Don't sue me because I'm beautiful. Fic writing is, as per usual, a non-profit organizational thing. Pairings: 1+2 Warnings: shonen-ai, angst, romance, AU, language, not really a songfic, but. Notes: fic is based on a true story. Sad? A little. But it's the sad that makes other things happy!  
  
This fic is dedicated to my greatest fanfiction muses and encouragers, Jana and Helen  
  
Beautiful like a Rainbow By Veste Notus  
  
Duo Maxwell adjusted his black backpack strap hanging off his right shoulder. Sure he was nervous. Why shouldn't he be? He stared down the familiar path that he'd walked down on Orientation Day just a few weeks earlier. He knew no one in the program and seriously doubted whether or not he'd make or have any friends.  
  
Pushing that dismal thought out of his mind for the nineteenth time that morning, Duo slowly made his way up the concrete path leading to the large brick building. He casually averted his eyes from any and all persons he saw on the way up. He was just too damned nervous to think properly, let alone carry on a good conversation that could either make or break his social reputation.  
  
When he finally made it inside the building, he realized that not bothering to watch anyone left him at a severe disadvantage. Duo had no idea where he was going or should be and, though he had come early, he knew that if he kept up his mindless wandering, he'd be hopelessly lost and rather tardy - a thing he didn't want to have hung over his head for the next four weeks.  
  
Thankfully, a tall bearded man wearing a Hawaiian shirt ushered poor Duo into a stark-white room where sat many sleepy looking soon-to-be art campers. Finding a lone seat in the front, Duo soundlessly threw his bag by the chair and waited patiently for the director to give the morning welcome.  
  
As Duo began to space out, he came to realize that the man in the Hawaiian shirt had what looked like maroon flowers drawn all over his right arm. Figuring his daughter had scribbled on him in permanent marker; Duo let out a breathy laugh and concentrated on the white walls for a few minutes longer.  
  
Soon enough, a tall, lanky looking man with gray hair and gray eyes to match, strode awkwardly to the front of the room and commenced addressing the sixty students in the white room. Duo inwardly noticed just how pale and fragile the man looked in contrast with his black shirt and dark pants.  
  
Mike, as he called himself, handed out paper which read where everyone should be for their morning and afternoon classes. Duo groaned as he read down the list of names in each section.  
  
He was in group D, which meant he had Drawing 2 followed by Sculpture 2 in the morning, and Metal Working and Mixed Media in the afternoon. Committing this order to memory, Duo let his mind lull over Mike's explanation of the list and what classes did what.  
  
Duo had known early that he'd have two foundation classes in the morning and two elective classes in the afternoon. He was especially looking forward to his Metal Working class, as the thought of welding metal into something shiny and cool became more and more of an interest to him.  
  
Maybe he'd like it enough to switch his college major to engineering.  
  
That is, if he was actually *in* college yet.  
  
Duo set off for his first class, which he learned was on the second floor and to the left. His teacher, the Hawaiian shirt man (who's name he learned was Joe) lead group D to his classroom.  
  
Each student looked rather nervous. They all stared down one another, mentally gauging who was cute, who was ugly, and who looked too gothic to talk to. Duo knew that quite a few female eyes would somehow land on him, one way or another. His long braid was definitely a tad conspicuous, making it difficult to remain unnoticed. Speaking of.  
  
Duo turned his head to see a quiet Japanese boy sitting in the corner. Unlike the rest of the kids there, he was simply staring out straight ahead, waiting for instructions. Duo found it a little unnerving that the Japanese boy wasn't gauging him like the rest of the students, even if he *did* hate having everyone's eyes on him.  
  
Joe eventually gave an assignment which, to Duo's shock, was unbelievably easy. He mentally reasoned that the assignment's ease was related to the fact that not everyone knew how to draw. Duo picked up his pencil and began to sketch the boxes in front of him.  
  
Looking to his left, he noticed a somewhat gothic looking girl with short, dark hair marking her paper with ease. To his right, a sandy-haired girl was making 3-D boxes that probably looked a lot better on paper, but obviously bore no similarity to the still-life in front of them.  
  
Joe stopped by the sandy-haired girl's paper.  
  
"This", he said, holding the paper high above his head, "is an example of seeing with your brain."  
  
Joe spent the next half hour explaining how everyone was culturally conditioned and how, after years of being told he thought 'outside the box', Duo Maxwell's artistic visions were always trapped within the realm of cultural boundaries. Holding his breath, Duo prayed to every god he knew that his next class would give him something a little *happier* to think about.  
  
Ain't life a bitch?  
  
Duo's second period class was down in the sculpture wing. He wandered the hallway looking at all the abstract art until he found a white room whose walls very much resembled that of the meeting room. Duo's mind reeled as he stared openly at the blankness of the walls.  
  
A few more feet brought him to a dusty table where sat the Japanese boy from his last class. Duo gave a shrug and sat down in the only available chair. right next to the mysteriously quiet teen. Their teacher, a very tall, 'in-your-face' woman with a powerful B.O., Gloria, gave the instructions on what they would be doing for the next four weeks - stone carving.  
  
Everyone was given a piece of paper with the instructions to draw out at least three projects that incorporated a part or a whole of an animal. Duo first drew an eagle claw griping the world. Next to that, he drew a snake that turned into a piece of rope. Finally, he drew a chipmunk that vaguely resembled an acorn.  
  
Carefully turning his back to the still silent Japanese boy at the table, Duo glanced over his shoulder and down onto the boy's paper. Shock clearly registered on Duo's face.  
  
Not only were his ideas really cool, but his drawings we unbelievable. The Japanese boy had circled in green pen the picture of a hand in which one of the fingers melted into a snake.  
  
//Must be a common theme.// Duo thought to himself as he glanced down at his own snake drawing. He grabbed the vacant pen and quickly circled the eagle talon drawing as the one he'd do, just as Gloria passed him.  
  
After mind-numbing minutes of instructions, Gloria handed out soap stones (which were indeed stones and not soap, but much softer than most other stones, like marble) and a pair of goggles, telling the students to write their names on both.  
  
Still holding the green pen, which he'd used to fidget with while Gloria kept talking, Duo scribbled his name on his belongings and politely forfeited the pen to the Japanese boy.  
  
'H-e-e-r-o' was all the boy wrote.  
  
Duo smiled inwardly. //So his name is Heero, then.//  
  
After a quick lunch by himself, Duo set off for his Metal Working Class. He was so excited that he barely ate anything at all. He sat down facing the many students and waited for the teacher to do roll call.  
  
"Is there anyone's name I didn't call?"  
  
Duo raised his hand.  
  
"And what's your name?"  
  
"Duo Maxwell." Duo replied with confidence. There was a moment's pause before the teacher fixed her glasses and looked up from her master list.  
  
"I'm sorry Mr. Maxwell, but you don't have Metal Working until last period. It says here you should be in Mixed Media." she said, indicating the list in her hand.  
  
Duo flushed all shades of red as he silently left the classroom feeling like an idiot. Now he knew that not only had he gone to the wrong class, but he'd now be late for his *real* class.  
  
//Just great!// Duo thought bitterly. He had no idea where Mixed Media was or even how to get there.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Heero looking at him.  
  
"You lost too?" Duo asked, turning to face the Japanese teen. It was at that moment that Duo realized how god damned hot Heero was. Having never looked at him head-on, Duo hadn't been prepared to gaze upon such a perfect teen.  
  
The deep blue eyes were what really captured Duo. Something about them tugged at the edges of Duo's mind. They were sad eyes - eyes that reflected the beauty within and the beauty without. They were eyes that told volumes of sadness and isolation; of misery and loneliness. At that moment, Duo decided he wanted nothing but to hold the boy close to him and comfort his troubles away.  
  
"No. I'm just waiting for the elevator." Heero replied, effectively snapping Duo out of his open-staring. A second later, the elevator doors burst open and the boy called Heero went inside. "Are you going to Mixed Media?"  
  
Duo gave a hearty nod and followed suit in the elevator, thankful that the gorgeous boy in front of him knew exactly where he was going. A few moments later, they joined the group and armed themselves with water colors.  
  
In this class, Duo met quite a few people, many of whom he actually swapped names with. There was Zach, a Muslim kid who loved comic books and anime; Daria, a dark haired girl who was the living version of MTV show; and Steph, a blonde haired girl who had a knack for goofing off, much like himself.  
  
Duo couldn't help but notice that, as he made new friends, Heero remained quiet and almost antisocial. In fact, he had barely even seen Heero throughout the entire class.  
  
Duo had extra time to contemplate this on his way to Metal Working. He gave a nod to the Metal Working teacher as she crossed his name off before the others. Sure he was embarrassed, but it was worth being a memorable student.  
  
Looking for a seat at the long table, the sandy-haired girl from his morning classes introduced herself as Suzé while the dark haired girl, also from his morning classes, introduced herself as Rayna. Suzé already confessed her secret crushes to Duo in a heartbeat while Rayna spoke of her love for Jhonan Vasquez, a popular comic book artist. Duo shrugged.  
  
//It could be worse.// he thought, casting a look at Suzé, who was still pining over her love-interest, James.  
  
Duo sat at the end of the table, noting people he'd seen before and people he didn't. Duo thanked all the gods he knew when Heero sat almost across from him at the table.  
  
Next to him sat Steph and a guy named Jake, a boy with yellow tinted glasses, frosted hair, and a goofy smile. Duo, Jake, and Steph spent the entire class goofing off and talking about anime and drawing while, out of the corner of his eye, Duo watched Heero set off to work on his project.  
  
The day ended quicker than Duo thought and, as he lay in bed, looking up at the tiny black hole in his ceiling that had been there for years, Duo's mind mulled over the new people he'd met.  
  
He could only hope that the next day would be just as good.  
  
The next few days were spent solidifying the friendships he'd made on the first day of art camp. He learned everything about everyone and who did what and why.  
  
Jake, as Duo thought initially, was a little crazy. boarder-line eccentric. Duo later assessed that the 'evilness of a person was directly proportional to the craziness of their haircut'. Jake only laughed harder at that.  
  
Steph was the quintessential slacker - a girl with a habit of getting into trouble solely because she couldn't take the tight-ass commands of the authority figures (namely, Joe and Gloria).  
  
Suzé, Duo learned, was a compulsive liar about the stupidest of things. She'd lie about her GPA, her SAT scores, and even what colleges she 'supposedly' was accepted two years early for. Duo tried not to groan aloud whenever he heard her talking about it.  
  
Rayna on the other hand turned out better than he expected. She was pretty funny and, though her love for Mr. Vasquez led her to enjoy a darker form of comic book art, she still had a rather cheery disposition. She was the goth-but-not, and Duo thought she was kinda cool.  
  
Zach the marvel comic book kid was still just as punchy, in more than one way. On the third day of camp, Duo had confessed to his kickboxing training, only to be challenged by Zach.  
  
"I'm a lover, not a fighter" was all Duo gave to anyone who ever challenged him, including Zach. Duo noticed that, more often than not, he'd be glancing over at Heero as he said this.  
  
Daria still lived up to her initial impression of being a sarcastic, passive girl who had no obsessive interests in anything. Duo thought she was pretty suave and cool. If he'd liked girls, she would definitely be a possibility for Duo.  
  
Yes, Duo liked boys. But he didn't like this fact being known. He found his orientation was pretty obvious considering that he had long hair that he always took brilliant care of and he always used just a little eyeliner to bring out the amethyst hue of his eyes.  
  
Duo chided himself for it, but he seemed to have a soft spot for the boy called Heero. He couldn't understand it.  
  
As the end of the second week of camp approached, Duo came to be quite fond of the silent boy. In fact, he began to question just *how* fond he was of the Japanese teen.  
  
*******  
  
".so. .bored." Duo continued his litany. It was the first period of the day and, as per usual, Joe was going on and on about 'cultural conditioning', a topic that Duo simply couldn't stand to listen to any longer. Duo sat down and began to scribble onto a wooden table where Heero was sitting.  
  
"Hey." came a nervous voice. Duo recognized it instantly as an apprehensive Heero. "What are you doing? "  
  
"I'm playing the 'scribble game'!" Duo answered with a wide grin. Seeing the confusion on Heero's face made Duo decide his answer needed some supplementation. "It's when you draw a random squiggle and then find a picture inside it."  
  
"Cool." Duo looked up at Heero and their eyes met for a brief second. Both looked away as if they were burned by that tiny eye contact. "Show me an example?"  
  
Duo happily obliged, drawing a squiggle with his eyes closed. After careful study, Duo proceeded to outline a part of the squiggle and add a few more lines.  
  
"It's a bird, right?"  
  
"Yep! You win! Your turn now."  
  
Heero hesitated.  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"Will you draw my squiggle?" Duo snickered and leaned over Heero as he drew. Trying hard not to blush, he continued to lean over the gorgeous boy until at last Heero had a rather good rendering of a shark on the wooden table.  
  
"Not bad, not bad." Duo said honestly. Positioning himself in front of Heero, Duo outstretched his hand. "I'm Duo. Duo Maxwell."  
  
"Heero Yuy."  
  
As the two shook hands, Duo carefully made note of the texture of Heero's hands - soft, yet callused a bit. Much like Duo's prediction of Heero's personality.  
  
*******  
  
'SMELL ME' was all that Duo wrote across a piece of masking tape. He stared at Heero's back, convinced he'd get it right this time. all he had to do was wait.  
  
Suzé, Steph, Rayna, and Duo had engaged in a massive battle of putting tape all over each other. Each piece of tape read something different, yet funny.  
  
Duo at that point bore the messages 'I'm happy - don't mess with the happy people', 'someone run me over with a truck', and his personal favorite, 'stop reading my ass' placed rather strategically on his. well. ass!  
  
After noting many wistful glances from Heero at the sounds of their fun, Duo tried to rope Heero into their mini-war by putting 'SMELL ME' on his back.  
  
Each time he tried, Heero's hyper-sensitivity would pick up whenever Duo tried to smooth the tape on Heero's back.  
  
Armed with this new piece, Duo was convinced he'd do it right. He knew what he would have to do.  
  
Duo leaned closed to Heero, studying the picture Heero was drawing.  
  
"That looks nice, Hee-chan." Duo began, playing his left hand almost suggestively on Heero's shoulder. His right hand, meanwhile, creeped closer to its target.  
  
Heero nodded a thank you, slightly taken aback by the sudden contact made on his shoulder. Duo began to blow soft puffs of air near Heero's ear - a maneuver her personally found quite endearing. Just as Heero began to move (be it to push Duo closer or further away), Duo took the initiative to step back and continue on his drawing.  
  
Five minutes later, Duo returned to compliment Heero's progress. and to take a big whiff of Heero's hair.  
  
"Mmm. Herbal Essences."  
  
Heero turned all shades of red before reaching behind his back and pulling off the offending tape.  
  
"Baka!"  
  
*******  
  
"Hey Duo, let me see that?" Jake called out in Metal Working as Duo fidgeted with a metal spoon.  
  
Duo forfeited the spoon quietly. He was having a lot of fun with it before Jake took it away. He, Steph, and Heero (out of the corner of his eye) watched as Jake bent the spoon in half and then claimed to have bent it with his 'psychic powers'.  
  
Jake threw the bent spoon onto the center of the table, where it landed with a loud 'clank'. Duo reached out to pick it up just as Heero did, their fingertips brushing electrically.  
  
Heero gave Duo the right of way, and soon Duo began chattering about what a cool bracelet a spoon would make.  
  
Jake and Steph agreed, both having a go at bending the spoon a bit more, but neither succeeding.  
  
"May I see it?" Heero asked politely.  
  
"Sure." replied Jake sheepishly as he handed the spoon over to Heero.  
  
"What do you want the bracelet to look like, Duo?"  
  
Duo tried hard not t o blush as Heero addressed him. The two walked over to the main metal working room, Heero armed with a hammer and Duo with the spoon.  
  
Duo watched in absolute awe as Heero pounded the spoon over an anvil, his muscles rippling under his t-shirt. Heero focused hard, putting his entire body into each swing as he hammered the bracelet, pausing every so often to see how it measured to Duo's wrist.  
  
When at last it was finished, Duo flung himself onto Heero in a grand hug. He didn't care if Heero didn't feel that way for boys or if people would joke about it later. All that mattered to Duo was the fact that the beautiful Japanese boy in his arms took the time and energy to forge Duo's very own spoon bracelet, which he wore proudly.  
  
Heero had been stunned by the hug at first, but after a moment's time, he accepted and returned it to the best of his ability. Duo sighed as Heero did so, slowly pulling himself away and staring up in adulation into the Japanese boy's cerulean eyes.  
  
*******  
  
Duo fingered his bracelet one more time before going to sleep. He hoped the next day would be just as wonderful as the last.  
  
The next days were even better; Duo assessed finally the Wednesday night of their third week. Heero and Duo did nothing but pass notes to one another throughout the whole of their sculpture classes.  
  
Duo opened the notes up to the part about frenching advice.  
  
That's right. Duo scarcely believed it, but they had gotten onto the topic about kissing and Duo, on a whim, asked Heero if he had any advice. Heero replied with the simple 'spell out their name with your tongue'.  
  
To which Duo responded, 'D-U-O M-A-X-W-E-L-L, in case you were wondering'.  
  
Duo almost went into shock at Heero's response:  
  
'I'll file that away in my 'should I ever kiss Duo' file. H-E-E-R-O Y-U-Y. for the record.'  
  
Duo cursed the end of the class, not before asking Heero to sit with him at lunch time. He was displeased to hear the Heero already had plans. However, Heero *did* invite Duo to lunch on Thursday, which gave Duo something to look forward to.  
  
In the cafeteria, Duo was eating with the usual crowd when Heero showed up five minutes before the lunch period's end.  
  
"May I sit here?" Heero addressed the table, more specifically, Duo. Duo gave a coy nod and Heero sat beside him. Duo could see Daria give an eyebrow wiggle in his direction.  
  
Duo would have to make a note to bargain for her silence. Not much happened within those last five minutes though. Duo gave his screen name to Steph (who'd been asking for it all day) before marching off to his next class.  
  
*******  
  
'DeathsDouble' signed on at 11:12 P.M.  
  
Duo was immediately flooded with IMs from his usual school friends. Two of them interested him. One of them he found out from the first line of text was Steph. The second intrigued him.  
  
[LoneWing: hi duo] [DeathsDouble: hi. who is this?] [LoneWing: it's Heero]  
  
Duo stared blankly at his screen for a time. How did he get his screen name?!  
  
[DeathsDouble: how did you get my sn?!] [LoneWing: good memory] [LoneWing: you gave it to steph.] [LoneWing: sorry if that offends you. i won't talk if you don't want..] [DeathsDouble: hell no! talk all you want, heero! glad you remembered my sn!]  
  
The two chatted for quite a while longer about the next day and what the two would do for lunch.  
  
Duo discovered during their conversation that it was Heero's birthday that Thursday, so he set to work making him a card in between typing.  
  
[LoneWing: my moms bugging me to get off] [DeathsDouble: aww...] [DeathsDouble: okay, okay] [DeathsDouble: have a good night then! sleep well] [LoneWing: thanks you too] [DeathsDouble: thanks! :-D] [DeathsDouble: oh! and do prepare yourself for a wonderful b-day day tomorrow!] [LoneWing: before i go, i should just tell you that i think i like you as a bit more than a friend. i dont know if you feel the same, but camp's almost over and i might as well tell you now.]  
  
Duo felt his heart skip beats in his chest. He read and reread that last line in shock. He tried to wrap his mind around it, but failed miserably, so instead, he typed a quick but honest response.  
  
[DeathsDouble: well. i'm certainly glad you told me that. i was wonderin' why you were putting up with me and my silly ways] [LoneWing: i dunno] [LoneWing: i can't believe i TOLD you that] [DeathsDouble: why? i like you a bit more than a friend too]  
  
Why push it further than that? Duo reasoned.  
  
*******  
  
The next day was the most obnoxious one Duo's ever lived through. The classes were torture. When lunch finally rolled around, Duo shyly gave Heero his birthday card and 'kiss' - a Hershey kiss.  
  
Unfortunately, Duo couldn't give Heero the *real* present he'd been wanting to give him. That Thursday, all of Duo's friends ate with him. of course.  
  
Finally, they reached the end of the day. Duo knew it was now or never so he beckoned Heero over to the vending machines where no one would see them.  
  
The two gave soft, embarrassed laughs as their eyes met and caught. Duo slowly inched up to Heero and softly held his chin in his hand. With a delicate ease, Duo pressed his moistened lips to Heero's cheek.  
  
It was tender, soft, and oh so sweet. Duo lingered long enough to whisper "Happy birthday, Heero."  
  
Heero gave a shy nod and walked off, leaving Duo standing by the coke machine alone.  
  
//Shit.//  
  
*******  
  
'DeathsDouble' signed on at 11:04 P.M.  
  
Duo spotted Heero online an immediately IMed him.  
  
[DeathsDouble: uhh... um... hey, sorry about today..] [LoneWing: which part?] [DeathsDouble: :-[ the part where i made you feel uncomfortable] [LoneWing: when you kissed me?] [LoneWing: christ not at all] [DeathsDouble: ?] [LoneWing: when did you make me feel uncomfortable?] [DeathsDouble: y-you mean you weren't totally weirded out by my very tiny b- day present at the vending machines?] [LoneWing: no i liked it a lot]  
  
Duo sighed a huge breath of relief.  
  
[DeathsDouble: did you?] [LoneWing: listen what you mistake for uncomfortableness is really shyness] [LoneWing: yeah, i liked it a lot, it was sweet and it felt good, i honestly enjoyed it] [DeathsDouble: :-P me too] [LoneWing: i just didnt know how to respond, cuz i'm shy as hell plus i was in somewhat of a stunned happy state after you kissed me]  
  
Duo couldn't have been any happier, even if he tried. His weekend would be filled with teases of future rendez-vous at lunch. this time they'd be alone.  
  
*******  
  
The two boys walked outside on the bright Monday afternoon seeking a place to 'have lunch'.  
  
Finding a nice spot of green surrounded by a circle of bushes, Heero and Duo plopped themselves onto the ground. Duo removed the sunglasses he'd been wearing and looked straight into Heero's eyes.  
  
"Do you want to try it.?" he asked softly, afraid that the louder he said it, the less likely Heero would want it.  
  
Heero didn't answer right away. After what felt like an eternity, Heero gave a slight nod and leaned in close to Duo.  
  
The two shared their first kiss.  
  
Duo remembered to breathe as he pulled away; gently opening his eyes and letting his lids flutter. Duo felt a light tingling on his lips and he couldn't help but giggle a little.  
  
"That was nice." he confessed.  
  
"Yeah. Can we."  
  
"Again?"  
  
Heero gave a smile and the two engaged in yet another soft kiss. They didn't need lust, no. There would be time for that later. Right now, the two boys just wanted to feel the light, flowing feeling that rushed through their veins.  
  
Duo came to sit sideways in Heero's lap as their kisses became more urgent. Heero made a point to swallow Duo's tongue as Duo swallowed Heero's soft pants. It was an unusual heaven for the two boys, right there in the clearing.  
  
"Kissing in the bushes, are we now?"  
  
Duo and Heero quickly parted. Duo buried his face in his knees, embarrassed to show his face. From what he could see, an elderly custodian had caught them red-handed.  
  
"No need to be embarrassed! I used to do it too!" he said in a raspy yet reassuring voice. He gave another light laugh and walked off, leaving Heero and Duo alone to contemplate what had just transpired.  
  
"JESUS!" whispered Duo in a soft yell. "What are the odds he knew I was a guy?"  
  
Heero gave a near possessive growl and grabbed onto a fistful of chestnut braid. "Probably slim to none." With that, Heero engaged Duo's mouth in yet another heated kiss.  
  
Heero leaned back slowly as Duo began to respond more and become the dominant kisser. Duo was on cloud nine before.  
  
THUD!  
  
Duo found himself flush on top of Heero with quite a nasty scrape on his left arm. He had, apparently, lost balance while claiming Heero's mouth. On the way down, Duo's arm collided painfully with a tree stump, effectively ripping away much of the outer layers of skin.  
  
Duo held it tightly, afraid to show weakness. He averted his eyes as a desperate attempt to maintain some shred of macho-ness. Too late. Heero saw right through it.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
Duo merely nodded.  
  
"Gods! Look at your arm!" Duo did at that point look down, whereupon he noted he was bleeding. "I'm so sorry, Duo!" Heero offered genuinely.  
  
Duo shrugged. "It's not your fault I'm a clumsy baka."  
  
Heero merely laughed somberly and placed a warm hand over his wound. "Please don't say that, Duo." Heero gave Duo a final reassuring kiss before brining him inside to clean up the scrape on his arm.  
  
Duo would later explain that he tripped and fell on a tree stump while running to the cafeteria to get the last of the mozzarella sticks.  
  
A few more days of relentless meetings in Heero's old jeep brought their relationship to a more intimate level. True neither of them *really* went far beyond kissing, Duo and Heero both learned how to use their lips to heighten each other's sensations.  
  
By Wednesday, Duo had learned quite a few tricks that made Heero go near mad with lust, be it nibbling his earlobe or sucking his fingertips.  
  
Heero on the other hand learned just how sensitive Duo's chest really was and, though he never took a taste, Heero knew just where to rub to get Duo gasping with need.  
  
But Duo always kept them in check. The last day of camp was fast approaching, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. They'd both learned earlier how far away they lived from one another and, with colleges to apply to, free time would be quite limited.  
  
In short, when Duo walked through the main doors on that last day of art camp, he knew he would never see his beloved Heero ever again, however untrue he wished it to be.  
  
The morning classes were bittersweet and filled with somber teasing. When lunch finally rolled along, Heero and Duo sat beside a statue and just held one another.  
  
No words were spoken between them. All that was heard was the soft sways of wind brushing past Heero's face and dancing through Duo's loosening braid. As they looked into on another's eyes, Duo knew it was true.  
  
No matter what he said or did, Heero's memory of Duo would fade away like the seasons tides, this time never to return. Though Heero loved him, Duo knew he would never admit to it. Duo too kept this inside him.  
  
He would never confess his love. not like this.  
  
A few more minutes ticked by, trickling away through the spaces between their fingers. Duo slowly parted his lips and moistened them with his tongue.  
  
Slowly, steadily, Duo began to sing for Heero. He sang softly, afraid that the louder he sang, the further Heero would slip away, fading into the already forming memories.  
  
//I see your true colors Shining though I see your true colors And that's why I love you.//  
  
*******  
  
He didn't say goodbye. The last time he saw Heero, it was from behind as he watched Heero walk out the vast doors of the main building. He did not run after him. He bid his goodbyes to Rayna and Daria, to Zach and Suzé. He promised to keep in touch.  
  
Steph and Jake were an item now, so he said goodbye to them together, rather than individually. To the teachers, he thanked them deeply for imparting a bit of their knowledge onto him.  
  
Everyone thought Duo sad for leaving everyone behind. In truth, Duo was upset about leaving all his new friends. but not as upset at leaving Heero. without even saying a proper goodbye.  
  
Just like that, Heero walked out of Duo's life, vanishing like smoke from the tips of a sparkler on the 4th of July.  
  
Duo drove home with white knuckles on the steering wheel. When he finally got home, he threw himself onto his bed and cried.  
  
He cried for the first time since he was a young boy. He let his feelings for Heero wash over him and leave him bare and empty - a hole struck right through his heart.  
  
He signed online and lowered the screen of his laptop, unwilling to face the IMs of his friends that night.  
  
Duo looked up at his familiar white ceiling with the hole in it that had been there for years. Fingering the bracelet Heero had made for him, Duo felt the memories of the last four weeks trickle slowly into him, filling the emptiness and warming his bones.  
  
He fell asleep on top of his covers, laptop still up, AIM still on.  
  
*******  
  
[Auto-response from DeathsDouble: so don't be afraid, to let them show. your true colors, your true colors.] [LoneWing: .are beautiful, like a rainbow.]  
  
Owari 


End file.
